Renault Kadjar

The French brands first attempt at the C segment Crossover market is a very good one. It looks great, is good to drive and offers great space and practicality.

Performance

The all new Kadjar comes with a choice of one petrol engine and two diesel options. The petrol option is the 1.2 litre four cylinder TCe130 with 130bhp mated to a 6-speed manual gearbox. The first diesel option is the four cylinder 1.5 litre dCi110 with 110bhp that comes with a choice of the manual or automatic EDC transmission. The second diesel engine is the four cylinder 1.6 dCi130 with 130bhp mated to a 6-speed manual also. The 1.5 litre diesel is probably the best balance of performance and economy for the Kadjar. The petrol is a frugal option too if most of your driving is in urban areas.

Ride & Handling

Based on the same platform as the famous Nissan Qashqai, the Renault Kadjar was never going to fail in the comfort department. It provides a very comfortable ride, steers precisely and attacks the beds impressively if you want it to with body roll kept well in check too. It offers an enjoyable and comfortable drive that remains very composed on the road with little wind or road noise making its way into the cabin. Although most models are likely to remain on the road, the dCi130 does come as a 4-wheel-drive option if you are so inclined to try it.

There is an obvious attention to quality throughout the Kadjar’s interior. There is nice blend of quality materials from leather style stitched grip handles to contrast piano black inserts down the centre console. It looks and feels like a premium crossover. The plastics low down are of a lower quality, but this is forgivable. One of the finer touches to the interior is the full TFT display that sits in front of driver in place of the standard rev counter and speedometer. It is a full digital screen showing revs, digital speed read-out, petrol and temperature. It is a great modern touch to the interior.

Safety & Security

The Kadjar is a very safe family Crossover scoring the full five star rating in Euro NCAP crash testing. It is very well equipped in terms of standard safety technology which includes anti-lock brakes with electronic brake distribution, Emergency brake assist, hill start assist, electronic stability control, side impact protection bars and a full set of airbags.

Space & Practicality

The Kadjar has massive competition in this segment from rivals like the Nissan Qashqai and Mazda CX-5. Even though the Kadjar is based on the same platform as the Qashqai, it actually has more boot space as the Renault designers created a larger rear overhang. Boot space is whopping 472 litres and 1478 litres with the rear seats folded forward. Space in the cabin is impressive too with rear passengers benefiting from decent leg and headroom. Storage within the cabin is ok with a central cubby, glovebox and the door cards could be bigger. Overall, the Kadjar is a very accomplished Crossover and possibly the best on the market at present.